The Apple/Google rivalry is spilling over from the virtual realm into the physical world as Google tests out a series of pop-up retail shops over the next few months. Visitors arriving on flights to London this fall can get a front row seat to the retail battle royale.

The world’s first Google store opened quietly inside of a PC World in London on Monday morning. The shop-within-a-shop on Tottenham Court Road will remain open through Christmas as the search engine giant dabbles into the world of retail.

There are tentative plans to open a few more pilot shops around the world in the coming weeks. If the prototype “Chrome Zones” prove successful, Google could make a larger splash in the retail market down the road.

Apple has already shown how successful brick-and-mortar shops can be for tech companies, attracting millions of visitors to over 300 Apple stores worldwide since 2001. A flagship Apple Store in New York City has even become one of the most photographed landmarks in the Big Apple.

Source: FOX News

Flickr: Robert Scoble